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In pictures: Aerial pictures of Esk Valley reveal apocalyptic scene

Monday, 20 February 2023

Aerial shots of Esk Valley after Cyclone Gabrielle show silt all the way up and in some instances on roofs.
Aerial shots of Esk Valley after Cyclone Gabrielle show silt all the way up and in some instances on roofs.

Visual Journalist Chris Skelton and Reporter Shannon Redstall were on a Defence Force helicopter flight on Monday morning that took them over the destruction in the Esk Valley.

USAR search properties in the Esk Valley after Cyclone Gabrielle. Video first published February 19 2023.
Aerial views of Esk Valley shows a property strewn with pieces of timber, and vehicles buried by silt and debris.
Aerial views of Esk Valley shows a property strewn with pieces of timber, and vehicles buried by silt and debris.
Aerial shots show the destruction of a rail bridge over Esk River following Cyclone Gabrielle.
Aerial shots show the destruction of a rail bridge over Esk River following Cyclone Gabrielle.
Hukarere Girls
Hukarere Girls' College in the Esk Valley is surrounded by silt, the school hopes to welcome students back next week.
A property, believed to be a motel, has silt all the way to the roofline. Holes are visible in the roof, a long with a yellow roof marking painted by Urban Search and Rescue.
A property, believed to be a motel, has silt all the way to the roofline. Holes are visible in the roof, a long with a yellow roof marking painted by Urban Search and Rescue.
A heavily damaged house in Esk Valley cuts a lonely image, surrounded by nothing but silt. Solar panels appear to have been ripped off the roof.
A heavily damaged house in Esk Valley cuts a lonely image, surrounded by nothing but silt. Solar panels appear to have been ripped off the roof.

After covering stories of Cyclone Gabrielle's damage from the ground, it was the pair’s first chance to view the area from the air. The flight showed homes with silt all the way to the roofline, with many properties surrounded by silt and little else.